Selenophorus alternans Dejean

Shpeley, Danny, Hunting, Wesley & Ball, George E., 2017, A taxonomic review of the Selenophori group (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Harpalini) in the West Indies, with descriptions of new species and notes about classification and biogeography, ZooKeys 690, pp. 1-195 : 73

Selenophorus alternans Dejean Figs 49A, 50 A–C, 53

Selenophorus alternans Dejean, 1829: 86. In Chaudoir-Oberthür Collection, 33 specimens in front of following box label: alternans / Dej./ Bresil/ C. Dejean// LECTOTYPE (here selected), labelled: [male]// alternans m/ in Brasilia [green paper, handwritten]// [MNHP].- Gemminger and Harold 1868: 265.- Gundlach 1894: 294.- Csiki 1932: 1196.- Darlington 1934: 104.- Blackwelder 1944: 49.- Erwin and Sims 1984: 440.- Bennett and Alam 1985: 20.- Ball 1992: 85.- Lorenz 1998: 355; Lorenz 2005: 376.- Peck 2005: 32.- Ivie et al. 2008: 238.- Perez-Gelabert 2008: 79.- Turnbow and Thomas 2008: 14.- Peck 2009: 13.

Selenophorus lineatopunctatus Dejean, 1829: 86. TYPE MATERIAL: male, in front of the alternans box label (see above); LECTOTYPE (here selected), labelled: [male]// lineatopunctatus m./ Cayenne [green paper, handwritten]// [MNHP].- Gemminger and Harold 1868: 266.- Putzeys 1878a: 13.

Type locality.

Vicinity of Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Diagnosis.

This species is readily separated from the similarly colored member of the palliatus species group, S. woodruffi , by the impunctate intervals next to the basal ridge.

Descriptive notes.

Data for SBL in Table 1. Habitus as in Fig. 49A. Clypeus and labrum with anterior margin of each shallowly concave. Head, pronotum and elytra with mesh pattern isodiametric. Mouthparts and legs testaceous to slightly darker; antennae darker than legs. Dorsal and ventral surface rufo-brunneous to dark brunneous; dorsal surface with faint aeneous metallic luster. Elytron bicolored, with apical fascia testaceous to slightly darker, length of pale marking nearly the same in intervals 2-9, forming a diagonal pale fascia; pale marking of interval 1longer than that of interval 2; intervals 3-5 may be darker just in front of pale apical fascia. Elytral epipleuron pale, same color as the legs. Elytral striae impunctate, except the standard setigerous punctures in striae 2, 5 and 7. Punctures of striae 2, 5 and 7 markedly foveate. Elytron with intervals impunctate basally near basal ridge. Both males and females with four terminal setae near the posterior margin on sternum VII.

Male genitalia. Fig. 50 A–C. Very similar to that of S. pyritosus . For details, see this topic for S. pyritosus , below.

Ovipositor and female reproductive tract. Very similar to that of S. pyritosus , Fig. 52A. For details, see this topic for S. pyritosus , below.

Geographical distribution.

Fig. 53. The known range of this species extends through the Lesser Antilles north-westward to the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and to the islands of Andros, Mayaguana and New Providence in the Bahamas.

Chorological affinities and relationships.

The West Indian range of this species is overlapped by the ranges of S. palliatus , S. pyritosus and S. woodruffi , all members of the palliatus species group. Relationships of S. alternans are not postulated beyond species group membership.

Material examined.

In addition to type material, we have seen a total of 678 specimens (310 males, 365 females, 3 unknown). See Appendix for details.